With the increasing use of networks and multi-network systems, there is an increasing concern for the privacy of information which is transferred within and between such networks. Solving privacy concerns is critical to the future development and security of electronic-based business transactions and the building of trust in the use of such transactions. The transfer of information across the Internet and the development of a large number of business-to-consumer, business-to-business and business-to-government applications has resulted in the potential exposure of sensitive information such as a patient's medical history, social security numbers, credit card numbers, and so on. To simplify the present disclosure, social security numbers are hereinafter used to illustrate an information hiding technology although it is understood that the disclosed methodology applies equally well to any kind of sensitive information that may need to be protected.
The threat to individual privacy has been recognized by computer scientists and government agencies around the world. Various legislation has been passed and new legislation is being considered around the world to protect sensitive information. Many industries have specific legislation governing the collection and use of an individual's sensitive information while some regulations deal with multiple industries. There are financial industry regulations, medical industry regulations (Health Industry Portability and Accountability Act—HIPAA), child protection legislation (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act—COPPA), the European Union Data Protection Directive, and many other examples.
Multiple techniques have been developed for data encryption that will make any data passed over the Internet unrecognizable to even the most sophisticated intruder. Such encryption techniques and associated protocols to establish and manage keys used in encryption will protect sensitive information as it is transmitted across non-secure or un-trusted networks. However, such encryption techniques impose an additional performance overhead on already overloaded networks.
Experience shows that there is no common answer to all threats to data security and privacy. Some highly sensitive information can only be passed if it were encrypted with long encryption keys. Examples of such data include important state, military or commercial secrets or the content of high value financial transactions.
Moderately sensitive information exists which needs to be protected for privacy reasons but is not of such great value to justify the implementation resources needed to abort the efforts of a sophisticated attacker. For example, one instance of such data is the social security number used by insurance companies to identify a customer. It is highly undesirable to send such numbers, in the clear or unmasked, over the Internet or even over a company's private network. For purposes of the present disclosure, the term “network” is used in the broadest possible sense and includes private and public networks which may further include wireless and hard-wired segments. A so-called computer “hacker”, even with only minimum skills, or even a casual observer would be able to obtain unmasked social security numbers and wrongfully use such numbers to impersonate another individual. Such an intruder may, for example, use a wrongfully obtained social security number of another person in applying for a credit card, or obtaining copies of documents issued in that other person's name (such as a birth certificate, marriage and/or divorce papers, or medical records), or solely to obtain false identification papers.
Quite often, it is not even an attacker who observes the sensitive data that are transmitted in clear text. For example, a clerk working an the offices of an insurance company may see arrays of customers' social security numbers on a computer screen. Even if no harm is caused by such exposure, it may constitute a violation of the customers privacy and is highly undesirable.
Thus, there is a need for an improved method and system for protecting sensitive data that are accessed and/or transmitted over networked systems.